Chapter 36: The Lecherous Villain

Suddenly, she remembered something else. "Wait, this isn't right! You are his wife; you should be living in his home. Are you back visiting your family?"

At this question, both Nan Yan and Meng Boji’s expressions turned cold.

The Lady Zhenguo, truly unaware of the situation involving the Meng family, looked from one to the other, then turned to Jiang Li with a puzzled expression. "This isn't right either! Jiang-lang, you were the one who summoned me to the Duke's mansion..."

She shifted her gaze back and forth between the three of them. The relationships were too tangled, and her mind was too simple to make sense of it all.

Military Counselor Lu finally found an opportunity to interject: "Scholar Meng has accused his wife, the young lady of the Nan family, of committing adultery with Master Jiang Li..."

"What?!"

Before the counselor could finish, Lady Zhenguo let out a sharp cry. "The lady committed adultery with Jiang-lang?!"

She widened her large eyes, placed her hands on her hips, and stood in such a huff that Military Counselor Lu swallowed hard in fright. Yet, the next moment, she suddenly broke into a knowing, aunt-like smile. She looked at Jiang Li and Nan Yan, rubbing her hands together. "Such a perfect, heaven-made match—how can you call this adultery?"

Upon hearing this, Meng Boji was so incensed he nearly fumed from his seven orifices. His wife and another man were a "perfect match"? Then what did that make him?

Before he could speak, Lady Zhenguo realized something herself and shouted again, "Wait, no!" She stared at Nan Yan. "Aren't you... Scholar Meng's wife?!"

Nan Yan lifted her chin. "Last night, Scholar Meng wrote a letter of divorce. I am his wife no longer."

"Oh..." Lady Zhenguo said, a sudden realization dawning on her. She turned and barked at Military Counselor Lu, "Since she is no longer the Meng wife, how can there be any talk of adultery?!"

Military Counselor Lu: "..."
Meng Boji: "..."

It seemed, indeed, that the logic held.

Military Counselor Lu was left speechless. He turned slowly toward Meng Boji, who blinked, equally tongue-tied.

Old Madam Meng stepped forward, thumping her dragon-headed cane hard against the floor. "It is precisely because she was carrying on with others and acting so wantonly that my grandson wrote the divorce letter! Why can we not accuse her of adultery?!"

Lady Zhenguo was genuinely surprised. "Is that so?"

Biezhi rushed forward once more to shield her mistress. "That is slander! It is clear that Scholar Meng wanted to take another woman as a co-wife, and when our mistress refused, the Meng family fabricated these charges. They discarded our mistress on the grounds of having no children, while plotting to seize her dowry by slandering her with adultery!"

Hearing this, Lady Zhenguo was furious. She stood akimbo, glaring at Meng Boji and Old Madam Meng. "Is this true?!"

Old Madam Meng retorted, "It was my grandson who caught them in the act of their illicit affair last night! They tried to kill him to silence him, which is why we brought this case to court!"

Mama Su chimed in, "Last night, it was clearly you who sent men to abduct our mistress with vile intentions!"

Meng Boji insisted, "It was I who kindly rushed to save her, only to stumble upon their affair—"

The two sides went back and forth, arguing incessantly before Lady Zhenguo. With her eardrums aching, she shouted impatiently, "Enough!"

"One side claims they are right, and the other claims they are right..."

She turned to look at Jiang Li, her face instantly breaking into a smile. "Jiang-lang, what is the point of calling me here? I am not the Mayor of Jingzhao!"

Nan Yan also cast a sidelong glance at him. He hadn't brought Lady Zhenguo here just to cause a scene, had he?

Jiang Li finally spoke, but his words were directed at Military Counselor Lu. "Military Counselor Lu, there was more than one incident last night, was there not?"

The scene fell into dead silence. Meng Boji quietly swallowed hard again.

Military Counselor Lu was puzzled. "There were indeed other cases last night, but how would you, Young Master, know about matters within the Jingzhao Prefecture?"

Jiang Li did not answer directly, instead asking, "Was there a thief at Baohua Temple?"

Beside him, Meng Boji swayed slightly and began to wipe sweat from his brow. Old Madam Meng’s expression became evasive. Seeing the counselor about to speak, she quickly interrupted to change the subject.

"The matter at Baohua Temple has nothing to do with us! Military Counselor, you must quickly arrest this wanton woman and have her seized dowry confiscated—"

"Hold on—"

Lady Zhenguo walked over, hands on her hips. "It may have nothing to do with you, but it has everything to do with me!"

"Last night at Baohua Temple, a lecherous scoundrel broke into my chambers with vile intentions—"

As these words left her lips, the crowd erupted in an uproar, followed by waves of whispers.

"What kind of lecherous scoundrel has such a... robust appetite?"
"To be able to stomach that, he truly earns the title of 'lecherous scoundrel'!"
"He isn't afraid of choking or being sickened..."

Even Old Madam Meng widened her eyes and turned to look at Meng Boji. He hadn't mentioned last night that his injury was due to attempting such an act against Lady Zhenguo!

Meng Boji was already drenched in sweat. He hurried forward to intervene. "Lady Zhenguo's matter is important... Perhaps the Counselor should first investigate... the scoundrel. My own business can wait..."

Just as Military Counselor Lu opened his mouth, he was interrupted again.

"No need."

Jiang Li stepped forward. "Lady, regarding the thief you encountered at Baohua Temple last night, do you truly not recognize him?"

Lady Zhenguo clenched her fists tightly. "If I ever see that lecherous scoundrel again, I will certainly recognize him!"

Meng Boji wiped his sweat again.

Jiang Li nodded and produced a sachet.

"When Scholar Meng was searching for me earlier today, I paid a visit to Baohua Temple. I found this in the courtyard outside the Lady's chambers."

He turned the sachet over, revealing the character "Meng" embroidered in red silk.

Instantly, Meng Boji’s legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed.

Nan Yan felt a surge of heat in her eyes. That was the sachet she had embroidered for Meng Boji with her own hands.

Lady Zhenguo snatched it away and shouted, "This must have been left by that scoundrel! Jiang-lang, do you know whose it is?!"

Jiang Li looked at Meng Boji. "Perhaps we should ask Scholar Meng: could the 'Meng' on this sachet be the same as the 'Meng' of Scholar Meng?"

Lady Zhenguo angrily shoved the sachet into Meng Boji’s face. "Speak! Was it you—"

The commoners were in an uproar once more.

"I never would have guessed! Scholar Meng has such tastes!"
"He really does have a heavy appetite..."
"To pass over such a beautiful woman as the Nan lady for this... his predilections are truly..."
"Eww..."

As the gossip swirled, Meng Boji shouted in desperation, "No! It wasn't me—I didn't do it!"

He pointed at Jiang Li, his face flushed with shame and rage. "Jiang Li! Stop your nonsense and slandering me!"

Old Madam Meng joined in the denial. "There are so many people surnamed Meng in this world! Don't you dare splash filth on my grandson!"

"That may not necessarily be filth," Nan Yan said as she walked over, gazing at the sachet with a smile. She cast a meaningful glance at Meng Boji, staring until he swallowed hard again.

"My Lady, I can prove that this sachet belongs to Scholar Meng."

Old Madam Meng looked as if she could bite through her own teeth. "You poisonous woman, seizing the chance to slander my grandson—"

"Why would I need to slander him?!" Nan Yan retorted sharply. "Such a personal item—would you not recognize it, Madam?"

"Bah! Boji has never carried any such sachet!"

"Very well then!"

Nan Yan did not touch the sachet, but turned to Lady Zhenguo. "My Lady, I embroidered this sachet myself and gave it to Meng Boji three years ago."

"Three years ago, shortly after we were married, he was ordered to Zhuxi Town to compile the local gazetteer. I did not yet know his true nature then, and being loath to part from him, I embroidered this sachet with my own hands so that he might carry it with him always."